Image via miff.com.au
An intriguing albeit flat documentary by Irene Lusztig, Yours in Sisterhood has contemporary women reading unpublished letters sent to Ms magazine in the 1970s. Continue reading
Yours in Sisterhood (2018)
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Pig (2018)
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There seems to be a thing where Iranian directors make films about Iranian directors. Jafar Panahi likes to do it with his documentary-like musings starring himself, such as Tehran Taxi. Mani Haghighi takes a shot at it with Pig although his tongue is firmly lodged in his cheek. Continue reading
First Reformed (2017)
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Dear Paul Schrader,
I have just finished watching your latest film, First Reformed, which starts Ethan Hawke as the Reverend Ernst Toller, a man facing a personal crisis. I am wondering, did you intend this to be an ode to the ills and delights of patriarchy or did you think you were telling a universal story? Continue reading
Isle of Dogs (2018)
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Get it? And if you love dogs AND Wes Anderson movies, it’s likely that you’ll find more enjoyment in this clever and quirky but ultimately disappointing animation than I did. Continue reading
Jane Got a Gun (2015)
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But Dan got two guns. Jane, for all her prominence in the film’s title and promotional posters, doesn’t get to do much with her gun. It is her ex-lover, brooding and sweaty Dan Frost, who drives most of the action and provides the dramatic centre. Continue reading
Pitch Perfect 3 (2017)
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Better than Pitch Perfect 2, not as great as the original. That’s pretty much all you need to know. Continue reading
Leila (1997)
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Cultural oppression is a battering ram that destroys everything in its path. There are those who help wield it and those who throw their hands up in protest but do nothing. So it is with the lives of Leila (Leila Hatami) and Reza (Ali Mosaffa). Married because of family expectation but finding love and companionship, their problems begin when Leila finds she can’t have children. Continue reading
Ana, Mon Amour (2017)
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Child’s Pose, Romanian Cãlin Peter Netzer’s 2013 searing exploration of maternal love, is one of my favourite films. Ana, Mon Amour treads similar ground but, in its more epic, complex and ambitious scope, ultimately fails to engage. Continue reading
Rabbit (2017)
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There’s a lot to like about this spooky Australian thriller, not least Adelaide Clemens’ stoic performance as twins Maude and Cleo. A sluggish pace and a muddled plot though fail to build the tension needed for this to be genuinely scary and ultimately satisfying. Continue reading
Wonderstruck (2017)
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This arthouse Todd Haynes adaptation of Brian Selznick’s graphic and text novel looks lovely but lacks the pace and complexity to keep its readership engaged. Continue reading
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